Strengths, pitfalls seen in the rise of the diocesan COO
August 28, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: The Pillar examines the rising trend of the hiring of lay chief operating officers (COOs) by US dioceses.
“As you know, most priests don’t go to school for or have a background in business matters, financial matters, accounting matters, things like that,” said Keith Parsons, COO of the Archdiocese of Denver. “Whether you’re in the Church or you’re in a secular organization, you still have to deal with the human resource laws that exist.”
Father John Beal, canon law professor at the Catholic University of America, said that “canonically, there’s nothing wrong” with the practice. He cautioned, however, that “the danger of the business model is that we’ll forget who we are … You see this in most dioceses, where they’re top heavy with diocesan bureaucracy, and the place where the faith is lived — in the parishes — gets short shrift.”
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Aug. 29, 2024 4:26 AM ET USA
Adding a couple of courses in business to the seminary curriculum and perhaps an MBA for certain priests seem to me to be a better plan of action than handing over critical functions at the highest level to laymen. The role of laymen in a diocesan hierarchy ought to be more advisory than executive. I always viewed my role as DRE from this perspective. I was considered to have expertise in a critical operation, but my most important decisions were subject to the approval of the pastor.
